"Are you doing out with another girl? Are you cheating on Amelia?!" Hearing the girl shout this, I vaguely remembered her saying something about her friend, Amelia, dating Cole.
I really couldn't care less who that guy was seeing or not. That being said, it was clear he was cheating on his girlfriend. Also, when confronted by Helena, the nearly 2-meter tall man moved toward her in an intimidating way, shouting at her to stop sticking her nose where it didn't belong.
"Don't forget I'm friends with Michel, bitch." Cole ended his sentence with that threat, which made Helena take a few steps back. "So stop making up lies and get out of my way." Then he lied, probably trying to make his companion think that Helena was just some crazy woman. So the girl probably didn't know he was already dating.
By the way, Michel was the third member of the group of friends: Cole, Michel, and Thomas. I didn't know exactly why the threat was so effective, but I didn't care at the time.
I took a deep breath for a moment, shaking off any remaining fear. I wouldn't let my weak past self show up again.
Then, partly wanting to prove to myself that I wasn't the same, partly to help a close friend's sister, I decided to get involved. I walked toward them, determined, then said in a strong tone:
"Asshole, first stop lying, everyone knows you have a girlfriend." I stood between him and Helena. "And don't you dare raise your voice at a woman, especially a friend of mine."
The man glared at me, clearly irritated by my intervention, so before he could threaten violence, I punched him with all my strength. I didn't like fighting, nor was I sure I could win, but I had so much anger toward those guys deep down in my heart that I decided to just throw a punch.
I rushed at him like a madman, only to be met by a kick. Obviously, if I charged carelessly, I'd just end up getting beaten. I stepped back and calmed my mind a little. Then I focused on withstanding the blows from that asshole for a few moments, looking for an opening.
I'd love to be able to elegantly dodge his punches and land a solid hit, but the reality was harsh. His strikes were too fast, making it hard to keep up, and he had a longer reach due to his bigger wingspan, which made things harder.
Despite all the training I was doing, I was far from strong. That said, there was something I could do. Aggressively, I charged toward Cole, resisting his attempts to push me back. With that, I forced him to retreat until his back was against the wall.
I advanced again, then, when he tried to push me away with a kick, I grabbed his leg and brought him to the ground. Of course, I didn't time it perfectly, so I ended up getting hit by the blow, but I could handle that pain without any problems. Taking the fight to the ground, I would have a bit of an advantage since I was stronger than the skinny guy.
I pushed myself onto him, and we tumbled across the sidewalk. Once on top, I unleashed a flurry punches to his face, landing blows wherever I could. All while enduring the hits he threw back at me.
In the end, the difference in determination between us became clear. While I was willing to take several punches, as soon as he got hurt, Cole surrendered. So he started focusing on defending himself and trying not to feel pain.
Seeing that I had won, I stopped attacking, lifted the man by his clothes, and said with pure anger in my voice,
"Get out of my way, idiot." Proving himself a coward, the man did exactly that, running away in a pathetic manner.
I was satisfied with how things had turned out, so I didn't mind letting him go. After that humiliation, he would probably never have the guts to cross my path again.
With that problem solved, I turned to Helena with a gentle smile on my face and then asked,
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah." Helena seemed a bit surprised by everything. I noticed her looking away slightly.
"I'm glad I was around. If that idiot tries anything, let me know, I'm always on your side."
"Thank you," she seemed shy, perhaps showing weakness because she was still scared.
I patted her soft hair, it was very pleasant to touch.
"You were really brave confronting Cole for your friend, no wonder that idiot brother of yours praises you so much, you're an admirable woman." I wanted to compliment her, because I was afraid she might be feeling bad about everything, or something like that.
I smiled again, admiring Helena's flushed and cute face for a long time as I got lost in her beautiful eyes.
"I-is there something wrong with my face?" she finally asked, probably tired of being stared at in such a strange way.
"Sorry about that, I was just noticing how beautiful you are, I got lost in your eyes."
I must have exchanged a few more words with the girl, wanting to make sure she was okay and feeling safe. After that, I prepared to say goodbye to her.
"I'll see you another day, now I'm going..." My sentence, however, was interrupted by a girl who threw herself into my arms, hugging me.
"Wait for a second, don't forget about me." She was the beautiful woman with orange hair who had been with Cole just moments before.
"You?"
"Yeah, I got all dressed up for a date, so I want to have one." She pressed her large breasts even further against me. "Since you seem like a much better man than that one, what do you think about having me for a day? Or, perhaps, are you going to refuse an invitation from a beautiful girl like me?"
I was so caught off guard by her words that I didn't even know what to say in response. Helena also seemed surprised, frozen in shock.
"Hmmm... Are you sure you want to go out with a guy you don't know well?" I asked.
"That's not a problem, my name's Mina," she extended her hand to me and smiled. "Nice to meet you."
I accepted her handshake, after all, I had no reason to refuse. After the introductions, she stared at me with her big, cute eyes. Then she said in a sensual manner,
"Now that we know each other, it's fine, right? So, are you going to refuse my invitation?" She pretended to be sad, looking at me with a tearful face and said, "Don't you want me?"
Right after pretending to cry, she laughed at my worried reaction. Over time, I ended up laughing with her, and we exchanged a few more words.
She seemed determined and confident about her invitation, and I had no reason to refuse. In the end, I said I'd accompany her for that day.
Waking Helena from her paralysis of surprise, I said with a smile,
"I hope to see you more in the future, I'm going now, have a good day, and call me if you need, if Cole tries anything I'll handle him."
"Hmm, thank you."
She stared at me for a while, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, she gave up and left. That's how we said our goodbyes.
Just as the girl left, Mina clung to my arm and whispered in my ear,
"Poor girl..."
I couldn't understand, and we continued on, starting this surprise date. I wasn't going to complain, it seemed fun.